In 2007, a sorting system called BAXORTER, in particular for automated luggage handling, was put on the market by Vanderlande Industries Nederland B.V. Said known sorting system makes use of an endless train of rectangular load carrying platforms having a length of about 1.2 m, directly above which sorting beams are provided, which can be mechanically controlled at a sorting location to move from one longitudinal side to the other longitudinal side of the load carrying platform and push a product present on said load carrying platform, for example a piece of luggage, off the load carrying platform upon making said movement. Closing plates are provided between the load carrying platforms at both ends of each load carrying platform, the object of said closing plates being to fill the space between load carrying platforms so as to prevent objects getting between the load carrying platforms, which could lead to damage and malfunctions. The closing plates of adjacent load carrying platforms overlap and are provided with a curved outer edge oriented towards the respective adjacent load carrying platform, the curved outer edges of which overlapping closing plates cross one another. The aforesaid arcuate shape is necessary in order to be able to pass through bends. Because of the aforesaid arcuate shape, a triangular surface is present between the overlapping closing plates on the two opposite outer sides thereof, which surface is not screened by the closing plates themselves and which may need to be screened separately by further closing elements that are movable with respect to one or both closing plates. All in all, several measures need to be taken to realise a so-called closed deck as much as possible so as to reduce the risk of objects, for example straps of pieces of luggage, getting under or between the load carrying platforms. The object of the present invention is in any case to provide a constructionally relatively simple solution for realising a closed deck in sorting devices of the kind referred to in the introduction.
Since many years, Vanderlande Industries Nederland B.V. have furthermore marketed a sorting system under the name of POSISORTER. Said sorting system makes use of transversely oriented carriers arranged relatively close behind each other, along which pusher shoes are movable in the longitudinal direction of the carriers, so that products, such as packages, present on a number of successive carriers can thus be pushed off said carriers by the pusher shoes at a sorting location. The carriers follow an endless path in a vertical circuit. Only the upper half of said circuit can be utilised for sorting products. In said upper half, as in the lower half for that matter, the carriers follow a rectilinear conveying path. To increase the sorting capacity, EP-A1-782 966 discloses a comparable sorting system comprising carriers and pusher shoes movable along the carriers, with the endless circuit extending in the horizontal plane. So far it has not been possible, however, to be commercially successful on the market with such a system. The object of the invention is furthermore to provide an alternative to sorting systems such as the POSISORTER which has commercial possibilities, which alternative distinguishes itself in that the entire length of the conveying path can be utilised and wherein, in addition, the aforesaid closed deck principle is maintained not only in rectilinear parts of the conveying path but also in curved parts.